LAHORE, April 4: Office bearers of all bars on Wednesday criticised the government for its alleged attempt to disrupt their rally in Islamabad on Tuesday by sending what they called “private people wearing black coats and neckties”.

The office bearers representing Supreme Court, Pakistan, Punjab, Lahore High Court and Lahore bar associations announced this at a press conference on Wednesday.

Lawyers protesting outside the Supreme Court building in Islamabad beat up some people when they raised slogans in favour of President Musharraf.

The suspension of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from the office of chief justice of Pakistan ensued a wave of lawyers’ protests across the country.

Pro-government lawyers had reportedly been sent to Islamabad from Lahore on Tuesday to hold a show in favour of the government. Some of them were also beaten up by protesting lawyers when pro-government lawyers raised slogans in favour of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Bar representatives said lawyers were united and there was no divide in their ranks, adding that the campaign against the government would continue until the chief justice of Pakistan was reinstated and the reference against him was withdrawn.

The officer bearers said the Punjab government had sent some of its law officers and private people, who impersonated them lawyers by wearing black coats and neckties.

The executive committee of the Pakistan Bar Council will hold a meeting of the coordinating committee to decide its future line of action. The meeting will be held at the office of the Pakistan Bar Council on April 12.

Also, the Lahore High Court Bar Association postponed its plan to hold a million-march on April 19. The bar president said a new date for the march would be decided later.

STRIKE: Lawyers in Punjab will boycott court proceedings for the whole day today (Thursday).